Washington DC, United States
Program
Education
Details
The World Bank Group (WBG) Africa Fellowship Program targets young, talented African nationals who are completing, or have recently completed their Ph.D. in an area relevant to the World Bank’s work. The fellowship program has been very successful since its inception, building a strong pipeline of young African talent interested in a career in development, international institutions, African governments, think tanks, and academia.
The program offers chosen fellows a six-month assignment at World Bank Group (WBG) offices in Washington D.C. or in country offices to gain hands-on experience in the operations of the WBG. This includes knowledge generation and dissemination, design of global and country policies, and the building of institutions to achieve inclusive growth in developing countries.
While benefitting from research and innovation in multiple sectors, fellows will also work on research, economic policy, technical assistance, and lending operations that contribute to the World Bank’s goal of eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity. Through the fellowship, we aim to build the capacity of the next generation of African change makers in development research, policymaking and promote the goals of reducing poverty in the region.
The WBG Africa Fellows have proven to be valuable resources for their hiring units. They contribute to the work program of their respective units and to the World Bank’s mission. In the process, they:
- Gain a better understanding of the World Bank Group's mission and operations
- Access quality data for their research work
- Interact with seasoned experts in the field of development
- Contribute to the World Bank Group's mission
Criteria
MAIN ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- Be a recent Ph.D. graduate (within three years of completion) or be enrolled in the last year of the Ph.D. program.
- Have an excellent command of English, both written and verbal
- Possess strong quantitative and analytical skills
- Be under the age of 32 by the closing of the application period
SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process consists of two phases:
- In the first phase, a short-list of candidates will be made available for hire for the different units of the WBG depending on applicants’ specialization. Applicants will be notified of about the status of their application or whether they have been shortlisted or not
- In the second phase, the final list of fellows will be selected in consultation with the various units of the WBG. When the selection is complete, all shortlisted candidates will be informed of their selection status
Selected candidates will then be notified and, upon acceptance, will be hired as short-term consultants for six months starting January 2021. Fellows are eligible to receive consultant fees, round-trip economy class air travel to Washington, D.C. or a WBG country office from their university or institution, and worker's compensation insurance.
Benefits
The WBG Africa Fellows have proven to be valuable resources for their hiring units. They contribute to the work program of their respective units and to the World Bank’s mission. In the process, they:
- Gain a better understanding of the World Bank Group's mission and operations
- Access quality data for their research work
- Interact with seasoned experts in the field of development
- Contribute to the World Bank Group's mission
- Compensation insurance and air trip travel
About The World Bank
The World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group, is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. It's mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors.
The World Bank is not a bank in the common sense; it is made up of two unique development institutions owned by 189 member countries: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Each institution plays a different but collaborative role in advancing the vision of inclusive and sustainable globalization. The IBRD aims to reduce poverty in middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries, while IDA focuses on the world's poorest countries. Their work is complemented by that of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
Together, these organisations provide low-interest loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide array of purposes that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture and environmental and natural resource management.